Grand-piano-body construction



Nov. 3, 1925.

1,560,268 C. LOITSCH GRAND PIANO BODY CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. i2. 192sIy l lmlLLlLb umm in y Gilbzucl Patented Nov. 3, 1925.

CHARLES LOITSCH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

GRAND-PIANO-BODY CONSTRUCTION.

Application filed January 12, 1923.

To all 7.0720977, t may concer/n:

Be it known that I, Cimnmzs LorrscH, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grand-Piano-llodyConstructions, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to pianos, being intended more particularly forembodiment in the type of piano generally known as grand pianos.

The invention has more particular reference to the mounting of thesounding board and the support for the strings, having for an object tosimplify the construction and assemblage of these parts.

A further object is to provide a sounding board of maximum area.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects andadvantages thereof, reference will be had to the following descriptionand accompanying drawings,

and to the appended claims in which thev various novel features of theinvention are more particularly set forth.

Fig. 1 of the drawings is a perspective view showing the main casingelements of a grand piano to which the invention is applied, showing thesounding board, with its supporting casing section, as detached from themain casing member.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view, taken at the pointindicated by the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, showing the sounding board in itsproper position, and showing also the member on which the stringholdingpins are mounted.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a. corner of the uppercasing section.

According to my invention the usual curved wall element of a grand pianois divided on a horizontal line into upper and lower sections which arehere numbered respectively 10 and 11, and which are of similar outline,or follow the same contour. These sections may be constructed in theusual manner of a number of thin strips glued together. Extending aroundthe bottom edge of the top section 10 is. a thin moulding strip 12 whichprojects downwardly from said top section and overlaps the top edge ofthe lower section, giving the two sections when assembled the appearanceof a single member having an ornamental mould- Serial No. 612,228.

ing strip running therearound midway between its top and bottom edges.

The top section 10 extends at its front end beyond the bottom .section11 and is projected downwardly as at 10 across the front end of saidsection 11, and is united at its ends by the usual support or shelf 1ifor the keys, while the lower section 11 is united at its ends by atransverse bracing strip or bar 15 which is Hush at its upper edge ofthe said section. This bar is of comparatively small cross section butit is reinforced by a second transverse bar 16 of larger cross sectionat its rear, this latter bar being spaced at its upper edge a shortdistance below the top of the section 11.

Upon the top of this casing section 11 is properly secured, as byglueing, the sounding board 20 made of the usual material and whoseedges come flush with the edges of the said section. l-Vhen the partsare assembled the bar 16 rests on a rib 21 extending along the rear edgeof the member la above referred to, while the downturned end elements 10of the top 10 section are cut out as at 22 to receive the ends of thebottom section. This bottom section may be glued in place, or otherwiseappropriately secured.

For supporting the usual devices to which the strings are attached Iprovide, in place of the usual frame, a metal plate 25 which, at thetreble side of the piano, is supported on a moulding strip or shelf 2Gextending partially around the inside of the top casing section 10, themarginal portion of the plate being upwardly offset as at 25 to restupon said shelf, the main body of the plate being thus below thestrings, and being suitably apertured to permit of passage of the soundwaves. At the front of the piano this plate 25 rests upon flanges 28formed on studs 29 screwed at their lower ends into the cross bar beforereferred to, these studs passing upward through suitable holes such as30 in the sounding board, the holes being of somewhat larger diameterthan the studs so that the latter do not touch the sounding board tointerfere with its vibration. On the upper end of each stud a nut 32 isscrewed which bears against the plate 25.

lVith the above construction I have obtained the maximum possible areaof sounding board, there being no inner moulding strips or the like onthe casing members to support the sounding board, which latter issupported directly on one of the casing memters Patent of the UnitedStates is as follows:

l. In a grand piano, a casing divided along a horizontal line into upperand louer elements, and a'sounding board lixed upon the lower elementindependently ofthe upper element and being flush at its sides with theouter face of the said casing element, the upper section havingdownturned parts at is front and covering the front end of the lowersections and being recessed to receive the latter.

2. In a grand piano, a casing divided along a horizontal line into upperand lower eleinents, and a sounding board fixed upon the lower elementindependently of the upper eleinent and being flush at its sides Withthe outer face of the said casing eleinent, an apertured stringsupporting` plate located above said sounding board, a shelf xed on theinner face-of the rear part of the Wall of the upper casing element andsupporting` the rear end of the said plate, and studs fixed in the frontWall element of the lower section and extending upward through aperturesin the sounding board and supporting the front end of said plate.

In testimony whereof I have aliixed iny signature.

CHARLES LOITS CH.

